Clio 2002 1.4 16v - Poor Start and Idle when cold

[kultsch88]

Hi there,

I have a problem with my girlfriends Clio - when cold, the car is hard to start and the revs must be kept up with throttle or the car will stall. It seems like it will refuse to idle when cold. Once 2-3 minutes has passed and the engine has warmed slightly, the car is fine. It revs normally and there is no loss of power.

I've have only just changed the crank sensor - and it could probably do with having it's throttle body cleaned, but I can't see how this could cause the problem.

It seemed to be at it's worse after I left the car for 5 days without starting.

My best guess at the moment is the Idle Control valve or a Temperature sensor?

Thanks for your help.

[scarble]

If it has an ICV then it'll probably be that yea, not sure what the layout is on them, some cars it's really easy to do so worth a try and it'll only cost you £5 for a can of carb cleaner. Just make sure you let it dry out properly before you put it back on, burning carb cleaner through the engine isn't a good idea.
Could also be an air leak so might not hurt going round squeezing the various breathers to see if the revs smooths out.

[Ionkontrol]

Had the same problem on GFs 1.6 16v. ICV is part of throttle body and you have to replace the whole unit, £200 to replace.
If you take it throttle body off and clean the ICV with carb cleaner, it should sort it. Also check cam position sensor as it can cause similar problems.